Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/449780
DearMary:Youaremy last resort. Please help. I bought a lovely cedar-lined wood chest at an auc- tion about 10 years ago. Unfor- tunately, I have not been able to use it for storage of anything due to the brutal smell of mothballs. Obviously, the former owner used them and I cannot rid the chest of this terrible smell. When we first purchased it, we left it outside with the lid open for weeks and weeks. That didn't help at all. Can you suggest any- thing? — Joanne Dear Joanne: I'd like to wring the neck of the guy who invented mothballs in the first place. To me, that odor is worse than moths. As for your problem, it's a tough one for sure. The only thing I?know for sure that will get rid of that odor is a product called Nok-Out (www.NokOut. com), which has worked for me with a similar prob- lem in a piece of antique furniture. The trick is that you must completely cover every square millimeter of the wood surface, as well as the areas in cracks and crevices, with Nok-Out. Then it must be allowed to sit for at least 10 minutes. Nok-Out must come in contact with the offending odor. I would not be fear- ful at all of using Nok-Out liberally on and in this chest. It is not toxic, has no fragrance of its own and is clear like water. It does not need to be rinsed off or removed. I would set the piece outdoors and al- low it to air dry. Hint: Use coupon code DPL at check- out for 10 percent off at NokOut.com. Another option is to sand down all of the cedar lining with fine grit sand- paper. Vacuum away all of the dust. This will re- new the cedar fragrance that may be strong enough to overcome the smell of mothballs. Hang in there. I know you'll find the solu- tion. Just don't give up. Dear Mary: We just sold our house and will be moving. We are going to pay off all of our debts with the money we get, and then we are going to rent for a while. After pay- ing off cars, credit cards and the existing mort- gage and putting a nest egg in savings, we will have $50,000 left. Given the market today and the uncertainty of it all, what would be the best thing to do with this money? Should we put it in a bank or buy gold? Everyone has a different suggestion for us. — Sandra Dear Sandra: If this is money you won't need for 20 years, using it to buy a diversified stock portfo- lio could make you quite wealthy. And you may want to use some of it to buy precious metals like gold and silver. On the other hand, if you will need this money in a few years to buy an- other home, you dare not put it at that kind of risk. Without plenty of time to recoup any losses, you could find yourselves with much less than the initial $50,000 you will need for a down payment. In that case, I suggest you park it in a Certificate of Deposit or savings vehicle where it will earn at least some amount of interest. But honestly, you need to speak with a profes- sional who can advise you appropriately. My best ad- vice is that you meet with a reputable financial plan- ner who, for a fee similar to the kind of hourly fee an attorney would charge, will create a unique in- vestment plan (rather than a commission-based plan- ner who will make recom- mendations and then earn a commission when you follow his or her advice). Ask your circle of friends, family and co-workers for a referral. Or check out the National Association of Personal Financial Plan- ners at NAPFA.org. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheap- skate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Sometimes solution is worse than problem Mary Hunt PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. By Danielle Spang Better Business Bureau The W-2s are rolling in. And whether you file your- self or pay a professional tax service, you're proba- bly pretty anxious if you're getting a big refund — constantly looking at your bank account, checking the mail. Only to receive this from the IRS: More than one tax return was filed in your name. Tax RefundScam artists see tax season as the per- fect opportunity to make some quick cash. They take your Social Security Number, file a bogus re- turn with your informa- tion, and keep the refund. Other scam artists even pose as the IRS and make threats to arrest you if you don't pay up. And it happens more than you think. In fact, tax identity theft has been the most common form of I.D. theft reported to the Federal Trade Commis- sion (FTC) for the past five years. Although there's no sure-fire way to avoid it, there are steps you can take to protect yourself as a consumer: Don'tbelieve everything you hear Even if someone has part, or all, of your So- cial Security Number, doesn't necessarily mean they're the IRS. If you do owe the IRS, they'll never ask you to pay with a pre- paid debit card or via wire transfer. Remain calm Scam artists are count- ing on you to panic, so it's important to keep your cool. Verify the phone number online, hang up, and call the number back. Never release any of your information over the phone unless you initiated the call and you're absolutely sure you know who you're talk- ing to. Hire a business you can trust Whether you're filing taxes, opening a new bank account, or applying for a loan — start with a busi- ness you can trust. Visit bbb.org to find an Accred- ited business. Who you should contact If you think you've been the victim of a scam, contact your lo- cal Better Business Bu- reau at bbb.org. If some- one has filed a return in your name, contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800- 908-4490. Tax Identity The Awareness Week In an effort to fight against tax identity thef t, the FTC has named Januar y 26- 30 Tax Identity Theft Awareness week. To find out more informa- tion, visit http://1.usa. gov/1y5OcOM. SCAM ALERT Tax season or scam season? What you should know The Antelope School Dis- trict recently held a com- petition between classes to collect box tops to raise money for the schools and raised more than $1,000 in a few months. Coordinators Glenda Bonham and Kristyn Hall said sometimes people don't realize that box tops are real money for schools and throwing them away is like throwing away money. Enrolled schools can earn up to $20,000 per year through the pro- gram. The top class in the contest was Mrs. Bur- ton's fifth grade class from Antelope School, which brought in more than 1,000 box tops. Hall said even those in the community who don't have school-aged children or grand children are en- couraged to collect the box tops and bring them by or mail them to the school office — 22630 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff. The Box Tops for Educa- tion label appears on hun- dreds of common grocery items. Each box top submitted earns 10 cents for the par- ticipating school. Class wins box top collection contest COURTESYPHOTO Mrs. Burton's fi h-grade class won a recent Antelope School District Box Tops for Education collection competition. ANTELOPE Findusonline! SacredHeartSchool SACRED HEART SCHOOL -2255 MONROE STREET -RED BLUFF,CA. 96080 WWW.SACREDHEARTREDBLUFFSCHOOL.ORG StrongAcademics Moral Formation - Values embedded in the curriculum College Preparation Small Class Size Family Atmosphere Safe, nuturiing environment Music, Art, Technology, and Library time Electives Extra-Curricular Spports Program SACRED HEART SCHOOL IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR KINDERGARTEN AND TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN FOR THE 2015-2016SCHOOLYEAR. CHILDREN 4 YEARS OLD BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 CAN BE ENROLLED IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN - FULL DAY CALL SACRED HEART SCHOOL @ 527-6727 FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ARRANGE A TOUR. 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